Third baseman Travis Shaw slugged the first two home runs of his major league career and had four RBIs as the Boston Red Sox overcame another shaky start from Joe Kelly in an 11-7 win over the Tampa...

Union Leader, Sunday News earn awards

“These awards reflect the newspapers’ government watchdog role and the talented writers and editors we have on staff,” said Managing Editor Amy J. Vellucci. “I’m proud of everyone for the efforts they put forth every day to produce high-quality newspapers and web sites.”

The awards were handed out Saturday evening at a banquet at Boston’s Park Plaza Hotel.

Staff Writer Kathyrn Marchocki and former Union Leader Correspondent Simon Rios earned first place in the category of crime and courts reporting for a series about the brutal attack on Dr. Eduardo Quesada and his wife in Bedford. Marchocki also garnered second place in the religion reporting category for her story about Latino reaction to Pope Francis’ election.

Nancy West won first place in the government category for her reporting on the whereabouts of paroled killers being kept confidential.

Tim Buckland garnered first place for his local personality profile on a pediatric surgeon.

Shawne Wickham took second place for health reporting for her series on New England Compounding Center and patients’ exposure to fungal meningitis from contaminated drugs. She also won third place, along with Paul Feely, in the science and technology category, for their reports on how cell phones can be used to track people.

Julie Weekes earned second place in the arts and entertainment category for the NH Weekend supplement, which publishes each Thursday inside the Union Leader.